Nafula

 I feel like I have been here a week. Maybe longer. When I meet new people and they ask how many days I've been in Bungoma, 2 seems crazy- to them and to me. I have already learned so much about Kenyan people, culture, beliefs, and customs and look forward experiencing more in Bungoma. As I mentioned in my last post, today started at 8 AM for the Mzungus and 10:30 AM for the Kenyans. Alyssa and I were scheduled to visit the children's home during the morning hours, which is right next door to the Branch. Finally, around 10:30 we were told we could go. Besides Kenyan time, another reason it took awhile is because there had been some miscommunication between the headmaster at the orphanage and the Red Cross volunteers last week and apparently, she scolded them for not helping enough. Apparently, there is not a list of things to do there so people just go and do what they can such as play with kids, help cook, clean, ect. Wekola had to go over this morning and explain that if they want certain tasks done that they need to tell us and that we would be more than happy to accomodate them. This seemed to satisfy the lady in charge and thus we went, eager to help in every way.

Most of the older kids were in school so we encountered a few babies (1 month-2 years old) and 3-7 year olds. There was a mentally handicapped boy, Issac, who loved to dance and wanted to hold hands with all the girls. Although he could not speak, he smiled and danced to let us know he was happy we were there. I took on the job of cutting up the vegetables that the cooks would prepare for lunch. I definitely got a work out on my right arm and I'm thankful I didn't slice my hand off. After cutting, I took a break to play with a few girls that had congregated in the area outside the kitchen. All of a sudden a small girl in a satin, white, dress walked up to me and immediately grabbed my hand. She didn't say anything but just kept holding my hand. I knelt down to greet her in Swahili and asked her what her name was and hold old she was. She did not speak but held up 3 fingers. The other kids told me her name was Nafula and she was 3 years old. I then sat down on the ground and just started rubbing the top of her hand with my thumb. She seemed so content with me doing this that I sat there and did it for the next 1/2 hour, while talking to the volunteers and other children. She soon sat down beside me and just stared at me with big brown eyes. I looked down at her hand and noticed that her thumbnail was partially torn off. It looked painful and I wanted to clip it. I asked one of the cooks if they had finger nail clippers or scissors. He said he would check, which meant he would go inside and come back out without speaking to anyone. I asked another intern there and she responded with "No, we don't have those." After a few more tries/begs I finally got someone to bring me a sterile small blade. As soon as I took it out of the package, Nafula pulled her hand out of mine. I told her in Swahili that it was okay, I just wanted to make it better and help her. I went to cut it off and she started screaming and crying and saying it hurt. I felt terrible and didn't want to accidently stab her so I put the blade back in its case, reached into my bag and pulled out a tissue to wipe away her tears. I told her I was sorry and hugged her for the longest time. Then we had to go. I assured her I would return.

Later today, Alyssa and I went back to the hotel and she grabbed her fingernail clippers. Our plan was to return to the children's home and clip Nafula's nail before the tea party at 7 PM. It just so happended that Moryne, the nurse, and Wycliff, the paramedic, needed to go too to talk to the owner, Violet about coming to the tea party. So as us 4 walked up the dirt path to the compound, 10 children came barreling towards us. I literally thought I was going to be knocked over as they jumped, hugged, climbed, and ran into me. These were the kids that were in school earlier in the day. They were so happy to see us and kept playing with me hair and touching my skin. I spotted Nafula standing patiently at the end of the road with a burgandy dress on. I showed Moryne her nail and she agreed we needed to cut it. As much as it pained me to hold her and listen to her cries, Moryne was able to snip it off quickly as I held her and dried her tears. We also realized she has jiggers, a parasite infection that works its way into feet and hands. It is easily prevented by wearing shoes and washing hands; however, these are rarities in Kenya especially in a children's home. The good news is that the treatment is simple and involves mixing water with an anesthetic chemical and soaking feet for about 15 minutes. Then they are scrubbed with a brush and topped off with some disinfectant that helps them heal. The toenails and fingernails are also trimmed and the jiggers removed with a small blade. The Red Cross also gives out shoes to those who receive jigger treatment so to prevent future infections. Moryne said we can come back tomorrow and treat her and also give her oral medicine for ringworm (which she has as well).

Moryne, Me and Wycliff heading to the Children's Home

Nafula is the living proof of resilience. She was picked up off the streets just two days ago and brought to the childrens home. Although she cried when we clipped her nail, she immediately returned to her solemn facial expression and accepted my hug with open arms. I can't imagine what she has been through or any of those kids who have been abandoned. I know my love and caring can only be professed for 7 more weeks but I am determined to make it over there at least 3 times a week to see her and offer her a hand hold or many hugs. She needs to know and feel that she is loved.

Kenyan Time, Currency and Transportation

We arrived in Bungoma around 5:30 PM on Sunday. This was an hour and a half past the time we were scheduled to arrive (4 PM). It was a long 9 and 1/2 hours on the bus, however, I managed to sleep most of the time and we even spotted a few zebras, wildibeast and antelope on the side of the road. When we were almost there, I called Even, the intern coordinator, to let him know we would be arriving. All of a sudden, Wekola, the program coordinator, came on the phone and asked to talk to the bus driver to tell him where to drop us off. For reference, this was a coach bus that only stopped at one bus stop, a central location, in town. So we arrive in Bungoma and the bus driver tells us it's our stop. We were literally on the side of the road, almost in the ditch. We have no idea what to think and figure we're going to have to walk to find the Red Cross or figure something out on our own. We turn the corner to find waving hands and a big group walking towards us. It was Mark, Even, Dr. Amin (our preceptor), his beautiful wife, Moryne (the nurse) and Wekola. They all hug us and take our bags and then we went to the Red Cross Branch for a few minutes, out to dinner and then out to "take a Tusker" which in Kenyan terms mean "Drink a beer." While we were out, they told us they were thinking about parking on the other side of the road from the bus and watching us freak out for a few minutes that no one was there to pick us up. It's like they knew me or something. They informed us that we needed to be at the Red Cross by 8 AM the next morning. And this is where the chunk of this post begins...

Kenyan Time: Even told us that when you tell a Kenyan "Let's meet at 2:00" it does not mean they will show up on time. I thought "Great!" they run on "Hilary time." But no, this is like Hilary times Hilary time. So I don't want to hear anything about me taking to too long or being late when I return to the states. I'm adopting Kenyan time! Monday morning came and we were at the Red Cross at about 8:05 AM. We were greated by the paramedic crew, Wycliff and Dansen, signed our names in the registry (as we have to do everymorning) and headed on in to meet the Kenyan volunteers and Red Cross staff for our weekly debriefing meeting. Alyssa and I were told to wait in Dr. Amin's office for "15 minutes" as they were setting up for the meeting and then they would introduce us. An hour and a half later, we waked in and the meeting began. This also happened this morning when we rolled in around 8:15 AM and we did not leave for the orphanage until 10 AM. This is great and frustrating. The great part is, I can talk to almost all the Red Cross volunteers, paramedic crew, anyone who is on the grounds in the morning because no one is in a hurry and everyone wants to talk and see how you are. In the US, I get to work, clock in, maybe throw a "Hey" out to whoever is around me and then begin working. I've been here two days and have made about 30 friends (who also want to add me on Facebook) and can remember all their names and something about them because of all the time we spend chatting and hanging out. On the other hand, today was very frustrating as I felt we were waiting most the day. In the morning we waited at least 2 and 1/2 hours to leave for the orphanage, and then in the afternoon we waited for our meeting to start and waited after our meeting to meet with Rose, a Red Cross Staff member. We waited for at least 5 hours today and because I am a "do-er" I kept thinking of everything we could be doing with that time. It is something I will have to get used to and be patient with. Hopefully after a week at the Branch, I will find ways to maximize time while not missing out on the social and personal interactions with my peers. 

Kenyan Currency: Kenyans pay in Shillings (Ksh), which I honestly thought stood for "Keesh" at first. The conversion is about 85 Ksh to 1 US dollar. Since we spent a day in Nairobi, we learned the hard way about converting Ksh to dollars and spent more money that we would have liked to. For example, we realized our taxi driver was charging us $30-40 for a 15 minute ride. We also over-payed with our "personal shoppers" at the Massai Market. Upon arriving to Bungoma we learned that a piki-piki ride was 50 Ksh (~60 cents) for about 3 miles. Piki piki's are the motor bikes in town that have a padded seat on the back for passengers. They are literally everywhere and so fun to ride on! I take one twice a day, to and from the Branch. I was also surprised, and happy, to see that meals in Bungoma were much less than Nairobi. I bought Alyssa dinner yesterday for her birthday and paid a total of 600 Ksh (~$7.50). This included juice and a full meal of rice, meat and vegetables for both of us. We also paid 80 cents for an omelete at a restaurant close to our hotel. Although everything is much cheaper in Bungoma, there are still people who will try to rip off the two White girls in town and charge them 200 Ksh for a piki piki ride. As we are learning the currency, we are conscious of how much stuff costs and try to pay the appropriate amount. It is also difficult because things are set in stone. For example, a taxi driver in Nairobi doesn't have a meter so unless you agree on a price prior to riding, you run the risk of paying a much higher one at the end. 

Kenyan Transportation: Kenya has very diverse modes of transportation. There is everything from your city bus to walking. And everyone walks here. On the highway. Next to traffic. It was scary the first time I saw a young woman walking in the street, about to get hit by a semi-truck. The truck honked and she jumped out of the way. I've even found myself walking in the middle of the street on occasion and have to remind myself that Kenyans DO NOT yield for pedestrians. Since we are staying at a hotel this first week, we are about 3 miles away from the Branch so we have to take a piki piki each morning. These are probably the greatest invention ever and I want them to be implemented in the states. As I mentioned above they are passenger friendly motor bikes. And the only person who wears a helmet is the driver. It's thrilling riding on the back of a motorcycle everyday with a cool breeze on your face and being outside as opposed to in a car. All of our drivers have been very safe and don't go over about 40 mph (Just for you mom, nan, papa and others concerned for my safety). This is Alyssa and I's favorite mode of transportation. Next up is the less-fast version of piki pikis, they are the boda bodas. These are your standard bicycles with a padded seat over the rear wheel. Today I saw a woman with a small baby in her arms riding on the back of a boda boda. Probably less risky than the piki piki. 

My favorite mode of transportation has to be the Red Cross ambulance. Now you're probably thinking, that's crazy and you're right because I'm pretty sure this won't be happening every day. But the Red Cross is good about taking care of their Mzungus (white people). Alyssa and I left the Branch around 6 PM yesterday and caught a piki piki to our hotel. About halfway through our route it began POURING down rain. So the protocol is to pull over under an awning (like a gas station) until the rain stops. Well here's the thing: the rain could last 30 minutes or 2 hours and going back to Kenyan time, they will wait it out. So we're standing underneath this gas station awning and the Red Cross ambulance drives by. They honk and we wave. Alyssa goes, "How did they recognize us?" I literally looked at her like, "Are you serious?" We both started laughing because we were the only white people there. Obviously they noticed us. Sure enough, they pull into the station and ask us if we want a ride. We're like "Yea!" So they took us into town to the internet cafe and made sure we could get home from there. 

And this is where I'll end this post, Kenyans are the nicest people ever!!!!! They always say "Karibu" which means "Welcome!" Everyone says this to us every day, everywhere. From the store owner to the piki piki driver to the mother selling pineapple. They are so happy we are here and happy to see us. It makes my heart smile :) 

Hakuna Matata

Apologies for the upcoming saga but I hope it's entertaining.

Well, our first day in Nairobi was AMAZING! We arrived at our hotel around 8:30 PM last night (Kenyan time- they are 8 hours ahead of the US) which is smack dab in the middle of the city. We were so exhausted from our 27+ hour travel day that we could barely move to change into our pajamas. We are staying at Hotel 680 and it is very secure and charming. We have a fridge, air cooler (portable air conditioner) and shower! Quite the amenities that I was not expecting. I honestly just wanted a bed!

This morning we woke up around 7:30 AM, showered, got ready, put money in our bras and headed downstairs for breakfast. I always put money in my socks and/or bra when I travel JUST in case something happens or I get my purse stolen. We were welcomed by an amazing breakfast spread including omelets, fresh fruit and Alyssa's very own vegetarian corner! One of the wait staff insisted on carrying her plate because it was "very hot." She tried numerous times to tell him she could do it herself but he would not let her touch it and followed her around from station to station until she had all the food she wanted. After breakfast, we headed out for the day. Our first stop was the City Market which was only a few blocks from our hotel. I envisioned unique Kenyan crafts and a bustling atmosphere. Much to our surprise, we were first haggled for about 2 blocks from the guy who wanted us to go on a safari and when we both told him "sipendelei" which means we were not interested, he goes, "You don't even know what that means!" We arrive at the market and take about two steps inside. It it nothing like we imagined. It reaked of raw meat and there were full, dead animals hanging from the ceiling, flys swarming around them. And people smiling at us, asking if we wanted fish. I looked at Alyssa and was like, "Yeaaaah we should leave."

Thankfully, I had heard about the Massai Market which featured Kenyan's handiwork with arts, crafts and clothing. After asking about 3 security guards where the market was, we found it and stepped inside. We were immediately bombarded by 4 men handing us bags and escorting us from tent to tent. We were compliately caught off guard and figured if we ignored them/didn't act interested they would leave. Oh no. They became our personal shoppers for the next 2 hours. Peter and Bill were mine and Alyssa had Alex and Tim. They showed us around the market and told us even if we said "maybe" to something we should put it in our bag and then we would "negotiate" later. At one point, Peter and I were moving ahead of Alyssa when he goes "We have to wait for your sister, SISTER!" And then he told me to call her that. So Alyssa and I are now "sisters" here in Kenya. We also heard people say "Hakuna Matata" numerous times throughout the day. Kenyans are very layed back! After showing us artwork, jewlery, jerseys, bags and tons of other items, they told us we needed to negotiate prices and to come in their "offices," which were bags filled with who knows what in between the vendors. Alyssa and I's "office" was right next to each other. I sat on a stool and we began negotiating. I ended up getting bracelet and t-shirt for myself and some other gifts for people which I can't say on here :) The whole experience was fun, yet, exhausting! The guys were hilarious and told us we needed to take a Tusker with them. Tusker is a Kenyan beer and that is what the guys drink after a long days work. We politely declined and they walked us towards the exit. It was a great experience but next time, no personal shoppers!

 Peter, me, Bill and Alex in the orange hat. 

After that experience we headed to the Easy Coach office to purchase our bus tickets for Bungoma. We decided to walk and once out of the city center it was....interesting. People sitting on the ground selling fruit, lots of yelling, cars almost running into each other (but seriously, that happens everywhere) and lots of stares. I really hadn't noticed people staring at us until we approached the office and this guy yelled out, "Mzungu, take a picture of us!" Mzungu means "White person" in Swahili. So Alyssa snaps a few pics of the men and then they wanted a picture with me. After we bought our tickets, we asked the employees outside if they could call us a cab. All of a sudden this man appears beside me and says he can take us to the Giraffe center...and he has a cab. He then became our personal driver for the rest of the day taking to the Giraffe center, Carnivore restaurant and then back to our hotel. Below are some pictures from those places as I'm sure you're getting bored with all the text. Oh, and his name is Chegge, but we call him "The Cheg-ster."

Alyssa and I feeding Ed, the giraffe! They are so soft and beautiful!

This is me with Stacy. Mom, there is a giraffe in Kenya named after you!

Our waiter carving off a piece of meat at the famous restaurant, Carnivore. The wait staff brings all sorts of meet around to your table on a huge sword and cuts it off for you! I tried lamb, beef, pork, ostrich, crocodile and turkey. This restaurant used to serve wild game meets as well but in 2004 the Kenyan Government outlawed it. There is lobbying taking place to restore in on the menu. We had soup, salad, baked potato, all different kinds of meet and ice cream! We also drank their famous drink called "Dawa," which means "medicine." It was vodka, sugar, honey and fresh lime. Delicious! Shout out to Danish Opere and Katie Nelson for the recommendation! We LOVED it!

Finishing off our incredibly wonderful day with a Tusker beer at the Simba Lounge (right next door to Carnivore). About 5 minutes later we called The Cheg-ster to come pick us up and had a nice chat on the way back to our hotel about mzungus, his girlfriend, birthdays, and how to speak Swahili. Alyssa and I plan to meet up with him and his girlfriend when we return to Nairobi in August! 

We're off to Bungoma tomorrow! Wish us well on the 8 hour bus ride. Kwa heri :)

Jambo! Habari gani?

Hello my dear friends, family and loved ones! The above title means "Hello, how are you?" in Swahili, the national language of Kenya. I am eager to get back into blogging for my upcoming trip to Bungoma, Kenya to complete my Public Health Field Experience and would love if you all join me in my adventure. The field experience is the chance for Masters students to take the knowledge and skills they have acquired over the past year in the classroom and apply them to a real public health situation. The goal is to bring public health to life and help students strengthen their philosophy and understanding of public health and begin to identify as public health professionals. 

For my field experience, I will be working with the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS)- Bungoma Branch to coordinate a 6 week sexual health and HIV/AIDS peer education group. I will be educating Kenyan volunteers (around the ages of 15-21) on sexual health and HIV transmission and then they will, ideally, deliver these messages to high school aged students at the local schools. The goal of the group is to change local behavior and improve communication between students and parents and healthcare providers in order to reduce HIV/AIDS infection rates for adolescents in the area. Bungoma, a city in Western Kenya, has seen the highest prevalence of HIV infections recently. I fully believe in this program because it has a high potential to be sustainable. As much as I would love to travel to these schools and speak with youth about sexual health and prevention strategies, it is not a feasible option. Sexual health is still viewed as taboo in Kenya and therefore, needs consistent, and patient, integration within the communities and schools. Therefore, by training Kenyan volunteers on sexual health issues and prevention measures, they can present it to others who live there and hopefully they will talk about it among their friends; thus creating a trickle down effect. I will also be coordinating logistics between the schools and KRCS Bungoma Branch such as consent forms for the students to participate in sexual health education programs and consent for the KRCS to deliver messages at the schools. Because many schools in Bungoma do not have known addresses, it will be difficult, yet important, to identify them for the KRCS.

A little about the KRCS: The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) is a humanitarian relief organization created in 1965 through an Act of Parliament, Cap 256 of the Laws of Kenya. As a voluntary organization, the Society operates through a network of eight Regions and 64 Branches spread throughout the country. The Society is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the largest humanitarian relief Movement represented in 189 countries world- wide.

Its mission is to be the leading humanitarian organization in Kenya that is self-sustaining, delivering excellent quality service of preventing and alleviating human suffering to the most vulnerable in the community.

Kenya Red Cross Society - Bungoma Branch

Located in Bungoma City in the Western District of Kenya, the KRCS - Bungoma Branch serves vulnerable and marginalized populations in the area through both acute and long- term assistance.

The KRCS - Bungoma Branch participates in the same programmatic initiatives (excluding the Dadaab Refugee Camp) as the other KRCS branches across the country. Those include:

·      Disaster management

·      Health and social services

·      Water and sanitation

·      Organizational development

·      Other support services

In addition to the work of the paid-staff at the KRCS, there is a volunteer component to the organization. Primarily, the KRCS - Bungoma Branch organizes a robust youth volunteer program that empowers local adolescents to participate in service activities around Bungoma City. The KRCS also hosts various educational courses to their youth group about various topics including public health.

I have so much more I want to write about, including Kenya's history and why I am interested in this country and its people. That is coming up during my 8 hour layover at the Toronto, Canada airport. For now, I should go pack!